In my last column, I made the argument for webinars being better and more frequently used by our industry. The subject matter is there, we just need a willing audience to present it to.

I would like to further that discussion by looking as live streaming video. In my opinion, social media platforms that lend themselves to live streaming video are less intimidating and more inviting to the attendees than webinars. Oftentimes, there is little to no advanced registration requirement. And, the format of the video is more flexible; ranging from one presenter giving a prepared speech solely to viewers to off-the-cuff interviews at a convention. Both scenarios allow for a theme or topic, but the latter makes room for more engagement.

Since I started this column, I have discussed the financial, social and marketing benefits of Google and YouTube’s live streaming video platform, Hangouts On Air. I have used the platform for conducting for interviews; largely when there was an opportunity for a more personal conversation that I could not physically travel to another state to facilitate. Our sister publication, Phc News, also used the platform at the 2014 AHR Expo to share real-time booth interviews and educational sessions with our readers who could not attend.

However, this time around I want to look at live streaming not for the sake of teaching, showcasing or selling something. Instead I want to look at mobile platforms, such as livestream and Persicope, which people have started using more so as a lens into an experience. On these platforms it’s not uncommon to find a video of a performance, speech, etc. Businesses can use that concept of doing less talking and more listening through livestreaming. Here are some examples:

Impromptu FAQ: When a product is launched, in that first two weeks allow customers to give feedback instead of waiting months down the road to formulate a formal frequently-asked-questions (FAQ) brochure or page on your website.

Weekly Demo: Allow service or building professionals to livestream one installation or project each week. This is the real day-to-day customers want to see; save the edited video staged with a sales representative for marketing and advertising avenues.

Crowdsource: You don’t have to wait on “X” number of email subscribers to respond to an online survey. If you are working on an announcement, new technology, etc. allow customers to weigh in. You can ask purposeful questions without giving your secrets away.

A “big scare” about livestream for businesses is the inability to censor. I get that. I also get that in today’s media cycle authentic content triumphs. So, while we should not do away with structured messaging, we should experiment with new ways to reach the end user; and this is one. Below you will find the handles for the livestreaming platforms I mentioned. Take the time to research and see if it is worth your company’s time.

Google Hangouts On Air (@googleplus) – Helping people go live in front of a global audience.

Livestream (@livestream) – On a mission to connect people with live events.

Periscope (@periscopeco) – Facilitating exploration of the world in real time through someone else’s eyes.

Since 2012, leaders in the plumbing industry have gathered together annually to voice the concerns of everyone from homeowners to lawmakers. The group, founded by Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI), American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) and International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), has grown to include 15 industry associations. On May 12, there were 16 representatives from those associations that showed up to the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), in Washington, D.C., for the 2015 Plumbing Industry Leadership Coalition (PILC) Meeting. Plumbing Engineer was one of the media partners invited to cover the event, which took place from 11:00am to 4:00pm.

Dr. Sokwoo Rhee, Presidential Innovation Fellow at Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), was the first presenter at the meeting. Dr. Rhee spoke on The Internet of Things (IoT), and the advancement in sensors and tech communication that now enables data collection that previously was not practical. The analytics that are collected today through integrated hybrid networks of physical and cyber systems help to better control technology.

CPS is exploring how IoT will allow for optimization of the way society deals with emergency, transportation and construction needs. One initiative that CPS is focusing on, in partnership with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), is the “Smart America Challenge.” Since 2013, the two groups have been assessing teams and their approaches to issues such as air quality, manufacturing, and health care. Some of the examples Dr. Rhee shared were: a sustainable management project in Cincinnati, a commercial building energy storage system in from Siemens and Columbia University, and 3-D data visualization work for green building in San Francisco. Dr. Rhee closed with a quick plug for the Global City Teams Challenge Expo. The expo recently took place, on June 1 in Washington, D.C., and was designed to advance the deployment of IoT technologies within smart city and smart community environments.

The next speaker up was Ryan Colker, director of the Consultative Council and Presidential Advisor at NIBS, who extended hospitality greetings from the institute. Gardner Carrick, vice president of the National Association of Manufacturing (NAM) Manufacturing Institute, led an afternoon presentation on workforce development. Carrick honed in on the skills gap in U.S. manufacturing and the work that the institute, in partnership with Deloitte, is doing to help make tangible changes in 2015 and beyond.

Other national issues were discussed as action items at the meeting including legionella awareness and drought prevention. Billy Smith, executive director and CEO of ASPE, addressed the coming ASHRAE 188 regulations and a report on legionella expected to be released by ASHRAE later this summer. Barbara Higgens, CEO and executive director of PMI, shared that PILC recently submitted a proposal to WaterSense for consideration of tier levels for GPM flows to help with the emergency drought status in California and 10 other areas.

The next PILC meeting will take place at the International Emerging Technology Symposium (IETS) in Chicago, on May 12, 2016.

PILC members include: Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI), Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE), American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA), American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE), American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), American Supply Association (ASA), Cast Iron Soil Pipe Institute (CISPI), Copper Development Association Inc., International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), International Code Council (ICC), Plastic Pipe and Fittings Association (PPFA), Plumbing Contractors of America (PCA), Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors National Association (PHCC), United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States, Canada, and Australia (UA), and Water Quality Association (WQA).

The Mohegan tribe created a fairy tale destination spot in 2007 with some of northeast Pennsylvania’s finest dining, retail shopping and live entertainment events. Boasting world-class casinos, it has also become a major concert venue.

The Mohegan Sun Hotel and Casino, with its grand opening in 2014, is the latest addition to the enormous complex, housing 238 rooms in a seven-story building including a large convention center. The Mohegan tribe decided to put comfort and environmental concerns as top priorities, and the end result is a luxurious hotel with green initiatives that include maximizing energy efficiency without sacrificing indoor air quality, a vast recycling program and the installation of fuel cell power systems to minimize greenhouse gas emissions. And, Uponor was asked to provide the plumbing system to the new facility to further align their commitment to a sustainable project.

Joe Alahverde, commercial sales manager for the East region at Uponor, worked closely with the mechanical contracting firm, JL Turner in Wilkes -Barre, Pa., to ensure a smooth installation.

“We showed them that the Uponor Logic system reduces the number of floor penetrations in the slab, and as a result, the system needs fewer connections, fewer installers and provides a much faster installation time,” Alahverde said.

And with the help of Uponor’s own design team, JL Turner received a Logic design with submittals, bill of materials and blue prints to follow during the installation process. Alahverde and the Uponor rep firm, Rich-Tomkins Company, trained the installers and provided ongoing jobsite support throughout the installation.

JL Turner only needed six to eight installers for the project, a significant reduction (and savings) compared to previous jobs with copper and CPVC.

“By being a part of the entire phase – from design to training to installation – we provided peace of mind for the installers,” Alahverde said.

JL Turner officials, from Vice President Jim De Grazia to Site Foreman Jeff Merrick, applauded the Uponor system and told Alahverde that the secure connections and lack of dry fits makes Uponor’s PEX system their preferred product of choice moving forward. They also liked the reliable Milwaukee ProPEX tools which helped with the speed of installation. In fact, the team installed the Uponor piping 75 percent faster than copper and 50 percent faster than CPVC, according to JL Turner’s De Grazia.

Midway through the project, JL Turner unfortunately closed their doors and Marx Sheet Metal and Mechanical in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. took over the project. JL Turner officials, including De Grazia and Merrick, were hired by Marx Sheet Metal and Mechanical to continue the project. Alahverde and his team stepped in when needed to provide additional training and support, ensuring that the new team finished the project to the highest standards.

“It was an interesting time,” Alahverde said. “We had worked with JL Turner for quite a while when the switch happened, but it was actually very rewarding to see how professionally the transition was handled.”

In fact, Marx Sheet Metal and Mechanical, with the staunch support of De Grazia and Joe Marx, are adding Uponor to new and exciting projects, including a plumbing project for an assisted living center and a hydronic re-piping project for a school district in Pennsylvania.

“I’m convinced that these projects came about due to reliability and ease of our PEX system,” Alahverde said.

There’s some good news for the hospitality industry, according to a 2013 survey by J. D. Power. Hotel guest satisfaction is at its highest point since 2006. The uptick is welcome; but smart hoteliers will remain vigilant, because when something does go wrong for hotel guests, it typically dominates all other aspects of their lodging experience.

That’s particularly true with plumbing problems.

“No hotel guest wants to call down to the front desk and request a toilet plunger,” said Michael Gilmore, national accounts manager at American Standard Brands, based in Piscataway, N.J. “And when they leave the hotel, will they remember the guest room, dining room or hotel amenities? No, they will remember the clogged toilet they had to deal with.”

That is precisely the kind of negative experience the management team at the Crowne Plaza Times Square – Manhattan, in New York, N.Y., solved when it replaced every guestroom toilet with the American Standard 1.28 gallons per flush (gpf) high efficiency Champion.

“Clogged toilets were always in the top 10 complaints at the hotel each week and very often the top complaint,” explained Vincent Curcio, director of engineering at the Crowne Plaza.

Most of the hotel’s existing toilets dated back to the late 1980s, and many had been retrofitted over the years with internal parts intended to update them. But that Band-Aid approach changed the efficiency of the flush, according to Curcio.

“The old toilets seemed to struggle, using less water than they were designed for; and there were many continuously running toilets that wasted a lot of water,” Curcio said.

In short, the plumbing wasn’t working, and something had to be done to eliminate guest inconvenience. That's when Crowne Plaza Managing Director Geoffrey Mills suggested that the hotel test a few different toilets as samples.

Enter Don Hammerschlag, the New York representative for HD Supply Facilities Maintenance. He recommended the hotel try the high-performing American Standard Champion toilet and provided them with a sample. The Champion line is engineered not to clog, while meeting industry standards for both water efficiency and maximum flushing performance.
Curcio, as it turns out, was already familiar with the product.

“I have been using two Champions in my own home for many years,” he said. “In a household with five children, these toilets really live up to their name.”

“When we received the first Champion toilet, the operation was great, and the look was also great for us. The Champion doesn’t sacrifice style. It was a perfect solution,” he said.

The hotel's Mills gave the okay to start processing the paperwork for this capital expenditure.

The Crowne Plaza toilet-replacement project was an unusually large purchase. A typical order in a hotel of the same size is one or two dozen water closets, Hammerschlag said. But the smarter investment called for the hotel to replace all the toilets, effectively ending its clogging problems.

“In New York, any new toilet installation must meet the 1.28 gallons per flush requirement, regardless of the scope of the project,” Hammerschlag said. But the Champion solution did more than save water and reduce hotel maintenance and cleaning costs.

“New York City levies a sewer discharge fee for every gallon of waste entering the city’s sewer system,” Hammerschlag continued. “So with the Champion, the environment wins, and the hotel property saves money.”

Curcio added, “Although saving money was not the main motivation for the Crowne Plaza project, the installation definitely lowered our usage and sewage costs, while putting less stress on the municipal system.”

Based on both Mills' and Curcio's recommendation, the Crowne Plaza owners chose to change all the toilets to Champions because clogging was an issue in almost all of the rooms. Consistency in looks and repair parts among the rooms were also contributing factors, but of course pricing was critical, as well. Hammerschlag worked closely with American Standard Brands to provide the hotel with a competitive package, including a $10 rebate per toilet, and to work around the hotel’s available space during the project.

And there was more.

“American Standard provided the Champion toilet with a slow-close quiet toilet seat, as well as a promotional cost that couldn’t be beat by any other manufacturer,” Hammerschlag said.

“The slow-close seat was a great add-on feature for our promotion and contributed to improved guest satisfaction,” Gilmore added. “With this seat, there is no more loud noise during the night when the seat drops, because it closes slowly and quietly. The slow-close feature also helps to eliminate broken seats that occur when a guest slams a regular seat, so it benefits management as well as guests.”

And with such a large order, the brand incorporated shipping flexibility into the sale, according to Gilmore.

“Because the hotel is located in midtown Manhattan, they had no storage for 810 toilets,” he said. “So we offered to ship the order in five prepaid shipments to meet the hotel’s timeline.”

“The general manager was in full agreement and recommended the replacement of every toilet with a Champion,” Curcio said.

Most importantly, the upscale hotel quickly began resolving its clogged toilet problem. Installation of the Champion shipments took place between July and December 2013.

“After the first 150 toilets were installed, the toilets dropped off the hotel’s ‘top 10’ list of customer complaints,” Gilmore reported.

But the successful completion of this large order went beyond a good product at a good price, shipped on the hotel’s terms. In the end, the American Standard “Flush For Good” humanitarian initiative also played a key role.

“Flush For Good” aims to raise awareness of the global sanitation crisis and create solutions to help stop the spread of disease caused by inadequate sanitation facilities in developing countries. Worldwide, nearly 40 percent of the world population ― that is 2.5 billion people ― lack access to safe sanitation options.

In response to this international problem, American Standard invented the SaTo (pronounced SAH-toh, derived from “Safe Toilet") sanitary toilet pan in early 2013, in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The goal was to create an easy-to-use, cost-effective sanitation solution for villages in Bangladesh, where conventional plumbing did not exist, and thus help control the spread of life-threatening disease.

“Without intervention like our SaTo sanitary toilet pans, open pit latrines allowed for villagers to be in direct and indirect contact (through flying insects) with human waste and the diseases that it carried,” Gilmore explained.

American Standard has pledged to donate one SaTo to a developing country for each Champion toilet it sells in North America. By the end of 2017, the company expects to reach an estimated 5.5 million people with improved sanitation solutions and better quality of life in Bangladesh and Sub-Saharan Africa. American Standard’s distribution partners in Flush For Good include the anti-poverty organization BRAC; Save the Children, the world's top independent charity for children in need; and other NGO's operating around the world.

“Through these groups and our customers’ purchases, our sanitary toilet pans go directly to people with the greatest need and at the highest risk,” Gilmore said. According to BRAC, “These pans are a low-tech solution to reduce disease transmission by keeping flying insects out of otherwise open latrine pits.”

“Flush For Good,” in effect, gives American Standard customers like the Crowne Plaza the rare opportunity to support a life-saving cause.

“We feel great that we helped support the Flush For Good program,” Curcio said.

In fact, the hotel’s management was so happy to be involved with “Flush For Good,” the Crowne Plaza requested a letter from American Standard to display at the hotel registration desk, so guests can feel good about it, too.

“The letter describes our program and also explains that the new toilets will save 1.1 million gallons of water at the hotel each year,” Gilmore said.

“Aside from the great cause of ‘Flush For Good,’ these toilets reduce water consumption and discharge without sacrificing performance,” Hammerschlag said. “We all win with the Champion, and everyone feels good at the end of the day knowing they were part of it.”

Gilmore agreed, “Every day, 2,000 people ― mainly children ― die from diseases caused by this lack of safe sanitation. We’re doing our part to help reduce this terrible toll. With the support of customers like Crowne Plaza, we can donate more SaTo toilet pans and improve the quality of life for even more families in developing countries.”

The Hyatt Regency Atlanta is a 1,260-room luxury hotel near Atlanta’s city center, encompassing some 1,487,000 square feet in three towers.

Scope
The prior configuration consisted of one chiller room, one mechanical room with an additional chiller and a low-pressure steam boiler plant, and a third mechanical room containing a high-pressure steam boiler plant. The two chiller plants were consolidated into a single plant, and the two steam boiler facilities were consolidated into a single low-pressure facility. The scope of the renovation projects was based on a Central Plant Assessment completed in 2005 by Grumman/Butkus Associates. Project cost was $4.5 million.

Summary
The chilled water plant was replaced in the winter of 2011-12. Two existing chiller plants were consolidated, and a plate heat exchanger hydronic economizer was incorporated. Two new chillers (500 ton and 800 ton), plus condenser and chilled water pumps, were added to the existing 1,000-ton unit. The chillers were pre-purchased based on a life cycle cost analysis. All pumps were equipped with variable frequency drives. The hydronic economizer provides non-mechanical cooling during spring, fall and winter months when mechanical cooling was previously needed. While not a requirement of ASHRAE Standard 90.1 at the time of design, consideration was given to piping the hydronic economizer in series with the chillers. However, due to the load and operating temperatures of the existing chilled water distribution, an integrated economizer provided little or no benefit and was not included in the design.

The system was converted to a variable-primary chilled water flow. Piping was reconfigured to correct existing flow deficiencies and to allow for more efficient operation. Chilled water system control optimizes energy efficiency.

Condenser water flow reset based on the number of active chillers and load

The steam boiler plant was replaced in the summer and fall of 2013. The low-pressure and high-pressure plants were consolidated into a single low-pressure boiler plant. The earlier chiller plant reconfiguration cleared space to allow new steam boilers to be installed in the low-pressure boiler plant. The high-pressure plant was kept on-line for domestic hot water production until the low-pressure plant became fully operational; it was then removed, and the space was re-purposed for a new emergency generator.

Four new 300-hp flexible-tube steam boilers were installed, along with a new boiler feed water system (including four feed pumps), a chemical treatment system, and upgraded ventilation and heating for the room. Controls include automated boiler sequencing, oxygen trim control, and boiler integration to the BAS.

Innovative features

The new variable-primary chiller configuration corrected a previous problem where the most efficient chiller could not be equally loaded in certain scenarios. Condenser water flow is controlled based on the number of chillers in operation. Tower condenser water is reset based on ambient wet bulb temperature. Two sets of ambient sensors were installed, given the importance of wet bulb readings (condenser water reset) and dry bulb (hydronic economizer operation). Any deviation between the readings of the two sets of sensors results in an alarm and calibration alert.

Boilers were shipped in knockdown form for field assembly in order to be rigged to the boiler room. Distribution piping was re-configured, and pressure-reducing stations were removed to allow for the elimination of high-pressure steam. The boiler room is two stories below grade; two variable-speed boiler flue exhaust systems were installed, permitting use of existing flue routing to the roof. New HVAC features serving the chiller and boiler rooms improved indoor air quality, comfort, and safety for facilities staff.

Results

Overall energy use for the hotel has dropped from 123,000 MMBtu/yr to 110,000 MMBtu/yr, a 10.6 percent decrease. Reductions represent an annual electrical cost savings of $103,900, plus measured gas cost savings of $52,930 for the first 10-month period following completion of the boiler plant project. The renovation conserves water and also removed equipment with CFC refrigerants that contributed to ozone depletion.

As a relatively new company, K. Regan Mechanical (founded in 2006) felt it needed a competitive edge to open doors to new business in the local plumbing market.

“We needed a way to be smarter than the competition—to work faster and to be more cost competitive,” said Keith Regan, owner of the Chelmsford, Mass. company. The company specializes in commercial work, such as apartments, condominiums, hotels, hospitals and college dormitories.

“This is a price-driven business, and as a start-up company back then, we knew we had to be aggressive in the pricing area without sacrificing quality,” Regan continued.

Regan’s competitive edge came in the form of FlowGuard Gold and Corzan pipe and fittings made from CPVC compounds from The Lubrizol Corporation.

“Ever since we opened our doors, we have used FlowGuard Gold plumbing systems almost exclusively, as code permits,” Regan said. “These products allow us to offer more competitive pricing, and it’s amazing how much we can get installed in a small amount of time as a result of the fast and easy joining method.”

Regan, a 13-year plumbing veteran, has had more than his fair share of experience using piping materials other than CPVC, but found that nothing else offered the same advantages.

“It was hard to estimate jobs and be competitive, as well as profitable, with copper,” Regan said. “Copper pricing is too erratic. Plus, many applications require copper pipe to be insulated, whereas the thermal conductivity advantages of FlowGuard Gold pipe often allow for the insulation to be valued engineered out of the job for an additional cost savings.”

Regan had also tried using PEX after hearing claims that it could help reduce installation time. “I saw absolutely no time savings using PEX,” he said. “In comparison, the FlowGuard Gold product is so much faster and easier to use. My guys caught on real quick to the solvent cement joining process and found it to be highly reliable. In addition, we preferred the straight, professional appearance of CPVC pipe.”

As a result of these benefits, Regan recommended that FlowGuard Gold and larger-diameter Corzan CPVC pipe and fittings be used at the local Hilton Garden Inn project being constructed in Ft. Devens, near Boston. The project was noteworthy inasmuch as it was one of the first hospitality projects in the state to use pre-built bathrooms, which were completely constructed and plumbed offsite in a factory and shipped to the jobsite for final hook-up.

Eggrock Modular Solutions was the manufacturer of the factory-built bathrooms. The “bathroom in a box” concept is marketed primarily for projects involving a large number of bathrooms, such as military barracks, college dorms and hotels. By completing the bathrooms offsite, construction on other parts of the project can continue without interference by the contractors working on the individual pods. Promised benefits of pre-fabrication include consistent designs across multiple project locations, as well as an accelerated construction schedule and, typically, overall lower construction and installation costs.

For the Hilton Garden Inn in Ft. Devens, all of the Eggrock modular bathrooms were plumbed with FlowGuard Gold CPVC systems. Tappings that extended out from the top of the individual units were joined to FlowGuard Gold pipe and fittings that ran throughout the rest of the building and eventually transitioned to larger-diameter Corzan CPVC pipe and fittings that were used for the mains. With the exception of the commercial kitchen and mechanical room that were required by Massachusetts code to be plumbed in copper, the entire facility was plumbed using Lubrizol CPVC.

“Copper was never even considered for the Hilton Garden Inn project because of its higher cost and time-intensive installation process,” Regan said. “Even if we wanted to consider PEX in this five-story installation, we could not use it because the Massachusetts code restricts the use of PEX piping to three stories. Although the Eggrock units could have been plumbed separately with PEX, the additional cost for the transition fittings to go from PEX to CPVC made that option cost-prohibitive. Plus, PEX pipe in diameters greater than 1inch loses all flexibility and, therefore, any installation benefits that some may tout are gone.”

Another cost consideration was that the FlowGuard pipe could be hung using fewer supports, which added to the cost and labor savings.

“We would have used more supports had flexible PE-X piping been used in an effort to try to make it look better,” Regan said. “Plus, there was the aggressive construction schedule that called for completion of the 118-unit project only seven months after ground was broken. That made the decision of going with CPVC even easier, since both the FlowGuard Gold and Corzan pipe and fittings could be installed quickly.”

Regan is aware that there are other brands of CPVC. But for the Hilton Garden Inn, as well as all the other commercial projects for which his company specifies CPVC, he remains loyal to the FlowGuard Gold and Corzan brands.

“There’s a comfort level that I have with the brands,” Regan said. “It’s not just about the product, but also what’s behind the product, like the service and training we get. That’s important. Even if there was a less expensive alternative, I wouldn’t switch. FlowGuard Gold, as well as Corzan, pipe and fittings are a good fit for my business.”